Renaissance Rock and Courtly Dance, two contrasting selections, are optional beginning recorder features that can by played with or without the solo recorder part. Both compositions are also published separately for string orchestra (Kjos-SO241). The concert band and the string orchestra versions can be performed together. This is the perfect opportunity to feature recorder classes with the band and/or string orchestra to recruit new band and orchestra members. Also great for a mass festival finale! Renaissance Rock and Courtly Dance also appear on pages 27 and 47, respectively, in the Recorder Excellence method book by Bruce Pearson and Wendy Barden, published by the Neil A. Kjos Music Company.

Bruce Pearson is best known as the author of the Standard of Excellence Comprehensive Band Method. But quietly and consistently he has become one of the foremost composers of quality and challenging music for young bands. Now Tableau joins such grade two titles as Tapestry, Renaissance Triptych, Proclamation, and Canticle as outstanding compositions for both contest/festival and concert programming. A tableau is a graphic description or representation of ancient days and Tableau, the composition, is its musical counterpart, written in the ancient F Aeolian mode. Sparked by a tranquil Andante trumpet solo, and followed shortly by an exciting Allegro flute solo, the selection ends with dramatic ascending scale passages for all instruments in the band. A performance must!

Liberty Eagle March was inspired by television images of our military men and women returning home after tours of duty in war torn areas of the world. Happy family members, welcome home banners, military bands, and a sense of patriotic pride are the images and emotions portrayed by this composition. Included in this contest/festival march is a percussion soli as well as an advanced snare part to motivate young percussion players. A bold and dynamic march for grade one bands! Michael Oare has been the Director of Bands at Great Bridge Middle School in Chesapeake, Virginia, since 1991 and also plays Eb Clarinet with the Virginia Wind Symphony. Mr. Oare has also contributed Awakened Voices Resound, Greenbrier Legacy, and Portsmouth Reflections to the Standard of Excellence In Concert series.

The Summit is a programmatic piece written about a journey to the top of a mountain. Numerous visual pictures are presented regarding the journey: repeated eighth notes represent the endless walking necessary to reach the summit; the use of the minor mode to signifies fatigue; bold statements by the low brass and woodwinds indicate the beauty and grandeur that unfolds as the journey continues; and, of course, the grand finale describing the final ascent to the mountain top. A wonderful composition with varying tone colors.

The Voice on the Mountain was written for Mike Veak, a band director who dedicated 30 years of his life to teaching instrumental music in Lincoln, Nebraska. Nolan Schmit begins the piece with a flute solo representing a solitary voice on a mountain. The voice begins to build in strength and intensity as it travels down the mountain, is heard by others and is communicated to distant lands. This is a musical metaphor for a teacher - a solitary voice - who impacts generations of students. This is really a tribute to all band directors. A dramatic setting with an explosive ending.

The majestic splendor of California's Yosemite National Park inspired this music by Mark Camphouse. From the opening horn call to the final pianissimo chord in the woodwinds, Yosemite Autumn's sweeping melodies and profound harmonies portray the grandeur of the beauty of nature.

Written as a tribute to the seafaring and shipbuilding traditions of Portsmouth, Virginia, this enchanting and heartfelt composition overflows with colorful sonorities and rich textures. The percussion section has a big role in solidifying temp changes while the flutes are responsible for introducing the main theme.The rich melody moves throughout the band, incorporating several countermelodies and interesting effects in the percussion. The band will want to perform this engaging tune over and over!

Turn-of-the-(20th)-century music is featured in Concert in the Park. This pot-pourri of styles features waltzes, gallops, ragtime, and marches types of music usually performed at an outdoor concert. Trumpet and clarinet solos are interspersed to pay tribute to the fine soloists of the time, such as Herbert L. Clark. An allusion to The Stars and Stripes Forever closes the work.

You won t find another piece of music more fitting of its title! Relentless is an intense, aggressive, wild ride of a piece that maintains energy and excitement throughout - even through the silences! Structured in sonata form, the music incorporates sparkling use of unusual orchestration, such as aleatoric whistling passage for the brass, and passages where the clarinetists play through their mouthpiece and barrel only. This is a surefire winner!

Another Alfred Reed spectacular! The jaunty 6/8 tune in the woodwinds is complemented by the singing countermelodies of the Trio section. Commissioned for the opening of Kohoku New Town's (Japan) new concert hall, this march is sure to please!

Featuring the euphonium section or soloist in this lyrical paean to Lorenzo Falcone, Director Emeritus of the Michigan State University Bands. The first theme is a paraphrase of the Michigan State University Alma Mater, which is based on the sextet from Act II of Gaetano Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor. Also available as an ensemble for euphonium and flute/clarinet/trumpet with piano accompaniment.

Using only seven notes, this high-spirited march is an exceptional opener for a first concert! Various rhythmic patterns are employed throughout, with the percussion providing exciting contrasts in a rhythmic counterpoint. Following an energetic rhythmical interlude featuring the percussion section, the woodwinds and brass join in for a jubilant finish. The legend of King Arthur continues in this exciting new march for young bands!

A brilliant composition written to bring to life the sounds of past civilizations. Utilizing contemporary compositional techniques such as prepared dissonances, tone clusters, hand clapping, singing and recorder playing, this innovative piece will be a concert highlight! After the slow ethereal opening, the band catapults into a primitive dance section before concluding with a haunting melody performed by recorder.

A fresh and cheerful overture written in simple ABA form. Opening with a strong march-like feel in 2/4 time, the beginning section has a joyous melody that is first introduced in the trumpet section. The slower B section in 3/4 time, introduced by the clarinets, contrasts delightfully with the recurring A theme that ends the piece. This exceptional satisfying overture will challenge the early musicianship of the younger and developing players.

This dashing work in one of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's more frequently heard German Dances (K. 605, No. 3), which he specifically titled The Sleigh Ride. The composition was originally written during the last year of Mozart's life in 1791. That year was one of his more productive years, composing other well known masterpieces such as The Magic Flute, Piano Concerto in B-Flat Major, The Concerto for Clarinet, and his very last composition, the Requiem which he finished only twelve of the fifteen sections before his death. German Dance captures the wonderful melodies, lively rhythms, and ingenious colors of Mozart's style. This is a charming arrangement with three separate bell parts bringing forth the festive sound of ringing sleigh bells. Arranged to re-create classical scoring, this joyful programmatic piece will be a favorite with young musicians and audiences alike.

This arrangement features three of the movements from Handel's masterwork - Overture (movement I), Rejouissance (movement II) and Menuet (Movement VI). Originally scored for 24 oboes, 13 bassoons, 9 trumpets and 3 timpani, this remarkable arrangement provides an extraordinary opportunity for young players and audiences to learn about the brilliance and majesty of the Baroque era and the English Royalty.

The saxophone section's dream! Both the lyrical and technical aspects of the saxophone are revealed in this exciting interweaving of quarter and band. The opening movement Serenity sets the mood of quiet warmth and peace and builds in rhythmic complexity in the Revelry movement to create the feelings of aliveness, exuberance and celebration. Concerto Grosso is also available for saxophone quartet and piano.

A delicate and delightful feature for three solo flutes or the entire flute section! Barcarole for Flutes is a flute feature for three solo flutes. (If desired, the solo can be played by six flutes.) Both the first and the last section are in unison for the solo flutes while the middle section is divisi. The piece should be performed with the band accompaniment clearly in the background. If needed, the conductor should reduce the number of players to achieve proper balance. The piece begins with a smoothly flowing melody in the oboe and fist clarinet, accompanied by a countermelody in the alto saxophones, then flows into a lyrical melody for the solo flutes. The low woodwinds and low brass punctuate the sensitive and delicate melody with a rhythmical accompaniment. The ensemble builds in a sweeping sound toward the end of the first section. The middle section contains rhythmical variety within the flute solo as well as in an agitated accompaniment before returning to the original melody. After the return of the original melody, the brass and low woodwind accompaniment builds to a point before falling back to finish with the gentle hush of the flute solo. .

The soaring melodies and brisk counterpoint herald the coming of autumn in this overture by Dean Sorenson. Rustling woodwinds provide a vivid backdrop of color for the extended melodic lines in the brass. The exuberant rhythmic motif is passed around each section of the band so everyone has an opportunity to join in!

IN OLD MELBOURNE TOWN depicts the vibrant, dynamic energy of the city after which it is named, Melbourne, Australia. An upbeat, syncopated melody featuring the eight note/quarter note/eighth note rhythm characterizes the Allegro section, which opens after a four-bar Maestosos introduction. A slow, lyrical middle section introduced by the flutes contrasts nicely with the strong, upbeat finish.

Latin Fantasy features a jazz-inspired flute solo inspired by the ground-breaking concert band works of Frank Bencriscutto. Written in ternary form, its high-spirited outer sections bookend an alluring 3/4 ballad. Every player in the band will be in the pocket, and parts for electric bass, drum set, and a host of percussion solidify the groove. The solo flute part is highly accessible with lots of room for personal expression, though no improvisation is required. A great choice to liven up any concert!

A passionate solo for virtuoso clarinetist, this dynamic work can be taken at a slower tempo to be playable for your advanced, High School clarinetist. The band accompaniment is accessible for High School, a solid grade 4. Concertino for Clarinet and Band was commissioned by Dr. Carliss Johnson and the South Dakota State University Symphonic Band, James McKinney, Director.

Written for Myron Welch and the University of Iowa Symphony Band, this fantasy features soprano saxophone. Sit back and enjoy the jazz-oriented writing and fantastic journey through this programmatic selection!

This lively episode from The Snow Maiden is a standard in orchestral repertoire. A delightful concert piece, this skillfully crafted transcription gives the woodwinds an exciting challenge. An enhancement to any program!